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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517295">Red String of Thought</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonagonNomenclature/pseuds/NonagonNomenclature'>NonagonNomenclature</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sword Art Online (Anime &amp; Manga)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Progressive Compliant, The Once and Future Kirisuna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 13:47:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>16,030</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23517295</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NonagonNomenclature/pseuds/NonagonNomenclature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Before the raid on the 25th Floor Boss that decimated the Army, something happened to split Kirito and Asuna apart.  Now, a year later, they have quite a storm under the bridge.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kirigaya Kazuto | Kirito/Yuuki Asuna | Asuna</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>15</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Sweet Sing-Song Soliloquy</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Floor 56’s Field Boss is proving difficult to beat, and Asuna is getting impatient.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Kirito and Asuna start off very combative, but there is an explanation for it.  It might not be obvious at first, but it is done intentionally.  Consider the divergence point somewhere after Progressive (V6 as of this publishing) but before the 25th Floor Boss raid.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">“To get at the Geocrawler, we need to get to its soft underbelly.That’s the clear weak spot.But the canyon leading from the town to the Boss area is too narrow to get to the side.The only option we have is to get it a wider area so we can maneuver.We lure it to the village, and defeat it in the town square.”Asuna said as her palm slammed down onto the table.</p><p class="p1">Those in attendance looked around.Any number of other plans had been tried to distract or subdue the monster, from the more traditional rotating parties bashing at its head to the Grand Meaty Meat Plan, to subdue the monster by sedating it with food.None had worked, and everyone was starting to go crazy.</p><p class="p1">“It’ll attack the NPCs.They aren’t just objects, not like trees and rocks.They’re alive”Everyone turned to see the one foolish enough to go against the sub commander's ire.Kirito, the black clad solo player had pushed to the front of the crowd.</p><p class="p1">“But they aren’t alive, that’s the point.Unlike us, NPCs will just respawn. We don’t have the luxury.Nor do we have time.Or do you have a vegetable plan now?”It wasn’t exactly common knowledge who thought up the GMMP, but it was well known it had resulted in a party and a half running back into town post haste just minutes before this meeting started.The solo player looked sideways for a moment at the vegetable suggestion, but held his ground.</p><p class="p1">“We are the Clearers, the Front Line.We stand at the top of the player base, the hope of all those who can’t fight to free themselves.There is no greater responsibility or duty than for us to push relentlessly forward if not for ourselves, than for those who can’t fight.”Her eyes flared up, boring down into the poor solo player.To the surprise of the assembled clearing group, he did not back down.</p><p class="p1">“You’d do well to remember I am the Second in Command of the KoB, and am in charge of this operation, Kirito.”She spat the last word.“We will make progress towards the dungeon tomorrow, and we won’t lose lives while we do.”</p><p class="p1">The solo didn’t say anything for a while, looking at the vice commander dead in the eyes.Around them, the gathered clearers started twitching at the tense atmosphere.“To put advancement above all else, to the detriment of your principles…” he slowed, breathing deeply, looking unsure that he wanted to continue.“Doesn’t that weigh heavily on your heart?”He didn’t use a lot of volume, but in the silence of the chamber, it filled the space.</p><p class="p1">“That’s rich, coming from you.My sword protects my heart.” </p><p class="p1">“You know there’s more to this game than just swordplay, Asuna.”His voice dropped down, in contrast to her harsh and cold tone.</p><p class="p1">“It’s all I need.Should we settle this the old fashioned way?I can show you the strength to conquer this game”She sent him a duel request.</p><p class="p1">“If you so desire, Ms Vice Commander.”He turned toward the exit to move to a larger area, all the while accepting the duel request from the woman in white and red.The rest of the meeting cleared around him.He might have been well known, but the Vice Commander’s fury and drive to clear were infamous.To stand up to her like this was basically unheard of.</p><p class="p1">The meeting had been sufficiently derailed as they all gathered outside the building they had been meeting in.It was in a relatively abandoned section of town on the uppermost floor, so there weren’t many out who weren’t in the assault group, but that only made the gathering larger as they saw the assembled players. </p><p class="p1">“Any reason you wait till now to question me like that, Kirito?”Asuna asked as she walked to the center of the forming circle, facing down her opponent.</p><p class="p1">“This is the first time you’ve considered using NPCs like this.It seems like you forgot about her.About them.”There was a sad, almost apologetic look in his eyes, but he kept them locked on her.He spoke quietly, and no one but perhaps the most inner circle could hear him.“And I can’t stand for that,” he said even softer.</p><p class="p1">As the duel timer began over their heads, she drew her rapier and got into a ready stance.He sighed at the lack of answer to his question and got himself ready.It was a relaxed position, one she was familiar with.It held tension, and just a smidge of fear.But she could feel that the fear was not of the duel, but for her, as misguided as she thought it was.</p><p class="p1">At the end of the sixty second timer, the two broke out into a run towards each other.A flurry of blows was exchanged, missing the characteristic glow of Sword Skills.The two combatants moved their blades under their own power, spinning around each other in an oddly choreographed dance of death.The occasional glancing blow would hit, slowly chipping away at their HP.It was a very even match between the two.</p><p class="p1">And then Asuna started pulling ahead.She had no hope to block his heavier sword with her rapier, so relied on dodging and deflecting.Her nimble blade had a better chance of glancing off him during counters, and so she started to drive him backward.The circle shifted around them, but she knew she was making progress as the cobblestones under her feet slowly advanced.He was getting desperate, she could tell.</p><p class="p1">And then he did something odd.It was hard to describe in the moment, and even afterward, Asuna wasn’t quite sure what it was.He made a move with his offhand, that was usually unutilized.He moved to grab a second sword and was getting ready to strike with it.She focused her attention on the new blade for a split second before redirecting her attention back to the main blade as a twinge of confidence spilled over.She parried the move, but it pushed her back.She was on the defensive now, and Kirito was making up ground he had lost.She had to turn this around, and quickly. </p><p class="p1">She drew back into the stance for her signature move, Linear.A quick burst would give her ground, but it would slow between her freeze frames.For such a low levelled skill, it was hardly a thirtieth of a second, but she would need that time.And it would force him into using a sword skill to block.So in her last ditch attempt to land the blow, she launched into her “Linear Storm,” even if her subordinates jokingly called it “Laser Storm.” </p><p class="p1">She focused on the first time she had used this, back on the first floor dungeon.Much younger, less experienced, but just as determined.Kirito caught onto her quickly as someone of his Clearer standing had to.He parried with equally low level single handed sword skills, with the classic flare he usually imparted into such basic skills.Asuna was incredibly familiar with not only the basic sword skills for almost every weapon type, but she knew his style.He had a couple different directions to choose from, and could flow between the skills like water.But Asuna had perfected her Storm, minimizing the freeze frame and pushing her speed to the max.Being on the offensive, even after her defensive push, gave her the first strike advantage too.He was not overwhelmed, and far from it, but he kept moving fast.Eventually, he did something with his off hand again after one thrust got through his guard.He started spinning, leading with this left hand, but no sword was in it, and no sword skill activated.He seemed to realize this, and compensated by rolling into a four hit combo with his sword, but the freeze frame cost him as soon as he blocked Asuna’s next four blows. The duel was called in Asuna’s favor as the two combatants stood there, panting slightly.</p><p class="p1">“You don’t have to like it, but you do have an obligation to this Assault Team.”Asuna turned on her heel and headed back to the meeting room.</p><p class="p2">“My duty or my defeat doesn’t change the fact that I’m still partly right,” he said to her back, softly so the others in the circle didn’t hear.Asuna hated to admit it, but maybe he was right.The battle had worn her out physically, just a bit, but her heart felt much heavier.</p><p class="p2">“Well, you’ve had your fun.Unless anyone else would like to challenge my authority, I suggest we get back to planning how to beat this game.”And it was back to business as usual.</p><p class="p2">After the meeting ended, Agil came up to Kirito, but Asuna couldn’t see what they were talking about.She knew the two were friends, and went all the way back to the early days. What she didn’t quite expect was Fuurinkazen also going up to him and slapping him on the back.She knew they were often paired up, but Klein had a full party that didn’t usually have space for anyone.Fuurinkazen was a solid unit, and played well with others, but they tended to be on the outside, and there was never much reason to break up a good party composition.</p>
<hr/><p class="p2">That night, Asuna was sitting in a small restaurant on the 43rd floor.She was sipping on a milk tea, lemon flavored.Or as close as she could get it that night.There was a rumor there was a good shop on the 56th Floor’s main square, but she didn’t dare stay on the front lines tonight.Floor 43 was perfect, far enough away from the front lines to not attract clearers, and boring enough that few wanted to stay here after grinding for a day.The theme was “bog,” and the swampy land stretched from edge to edge.Luckily, the smell was not too bad in town, but zombie monsters had a bad habit of reaching out of the water to attack players out in the field.So Asuna sat in town, sipping on her citrus drink, thinking.</p><p class="p2">She knew Kirito was partly right.To press solely for the top was not good.It wasn’t to say she had sacrificed her core principles, but she had been feeling it.The lack of sleep from nightmares compounded her need to push for the top, which only made her insomnia worse.She didn’t want to think about not being able to get out of the game, and that only made her dreams about it worse.</p><p class="p2">To leave her old world behind was hard, and she would have hated to make a life here, only to leave it again when the game ended.She always made herself use “when it ended,” never “if.”She had been weak the first week, and she refused to let herself sink into that state again.She had made herself a promise in that inn on the first floor nearly a year and a half ago.If she was going to die, she was going to die as herself, not cowed by some maniacial game master.</p><p class="p2">But Kirito’s words from earlier made her pause again.If she fully abandoned her principles, would he still be winning?If she had to change herself so fully to escape, did the Asuna Yuuki that dove that fateful November day no longer exist?Would the Lightning Flash who rejoined the real world and her family be different enough that it would have been the same as the young girl dying in a dungeon on the first floor?</p><p class="p2">Part of her did die.Another pearl went up the straw of her drink.Asuna told herself it was the helpless part of her, the part that curled up into a ball for a week sobbing about her life.Yes, that part was dead, and she was the remainder, the Asuna that was strong, who would conquer the game and see her family again.</p><p class="p2">So Asuna protected the rest of her, the rest of her heart.Did she feel a bit slipping away?Perhaps, but it wasn’t due to these NPCs.Her drive didn’t let anyone in.It was like in the real world, but she never got so bad then.She had to be driven, she was the daughter of a high profile businessman. Here, she was no one’s daughter, she was just herself, the Lightning Flash, the Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood Oath.To make up for that, and live up to that, she had to be stronger, more driven.</p><p class="p2">A seed of doubt planted itself.Her thoughts went to the few mid level players around her.They were so close to the front line, just barely 10 floors behind.But did they have a chance at joining at the pace she kept?Hardly.She wanted to say it was ok, but Heathcliff had talked to the executives not a week ago about increasing recruiting drives to the lower floors.</p><p class="p2">She finished her tea, standing up to leave.Her bill already paid, she went back to her home on the lower floors.She would rest up tonight, and they would attack tomorrow.It was too late to change this battle, but she could consider the next one.</p>
<hr/><p class="p1">The assault against the GeoCrawler was carried out the next day.True to form, Kirito was there, but standing confidently in front of Fuurinkazen with a flute in his hand.“Sorry Asuna, I found out something last night,” she was definitely annoyed at the smirk on his face.“A little NPC in town sang this song about playing a lullaby for the Earth Guardian or something.These folks wouldn’t quite be my first choice for a barbershop quartet, but it did work out.”At least the guild behind him had the shame to look a little sheepish. </p><p class="p1">“Just like you to plunge ahead and try to solo the boss.Did you get a nice flag this time too?”Asuna wasn’t sure how many people remembered the Floor 5 incident, since the people with her were the fastest players, ready to kite the boss back to town for the main force.She tried to hide her surprise behind the jab.He didn’t need to know about her thoughts over tea.</p><p class="p1">Smiling to himself as if he saw right through her, he reached up to his menu and pulled something out.She couldn’t quite see it, but it was fluttering, white, and mounted on a short stick.In short, it did look somewhat like a flag, but the shape of the fabric at the top was off.Before she got a much better look at it, Klein tackled him.“How could you mount something like that?And why was it so ready to pull out?.”The scruffy looking man hid the fabric on the stick well from the rest of the players gathered, but not from his guild or Kirito.</p><p class="p1">“Ahh, Klein, I’m just complimenting her amazing sewing skill.”All of a sudden she knew what that was.“Ahh, I think Ms. Vice Commander understands what I mean.We’ll call it even then?”He extended his hand to her.The look in his eyes asked if she had thought about what he had said the night before.</p><p class="p1">What a typical Kirito.Using something so immature to try to clear the air after what happened before.Did he even consider that she was the one who suffered in both cases?Sure, he was the one beaten, but her authority had been directly challenged in front of practically the entire Assault Team, and news of their confrontation would have made it around all the guilds by now.She signed, shook his hand, and looked to her next task; redirecting all the energy towards finally making it to the dungeon just beyond the GeoCrawler’s lair. </p><p class="p1">Still though, she had to wonder how he kept one of the underwear she had made all that time ago.For it to be one of the plain white ones, it had to be early.As it turned out, the fancier the lingerie, the more experience it gave.That had been a fun one to tell Ashley.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The plot is heavily based on Material Edition 1, which is definitely worth the read if you haven’t seen it already.  However, there are a few key differences that are hopefully somewhat subtle.  I’ve changed the outcome of the duel, as well as some of the circumstances that lead up to it.  In time, these changes should make sense.  If you haven’t read ME01, hopefully this adds some more to your SAO experience.  </p><p>In ME01, Kirito wins the duel by using a Dual Blade feint.  He attempts the same thing here, but something keys Asuna into the fact that it’s a feint.  He gets flustered later, and attempts to use Double Circular, one of three Dual Blade skills we know of, and the most basic of them.  But it doesn’t activate since he doesn’t have two swords equipped, and he falls back on Horizontal Square but gets caught in the freeze frame afterward, letting Asuna win.  It’s basically what happened in the duel against Heathcliff on F75, but less deadly.  Afterward, Kirito goes to consider his loss and their conversation, when Ruru the NPC sings to him, and he goes off with Klein &amp; Fuurinkazen to kill the boss before the full team assembles.</p><p>There is a slight change in the past that’s leading to these changes.  I want nothing more than to link my ten page document about all the brainstorming here, but that defeats the purpose of telling a story.  I’ll also keep this short, since if Kawahara can write a single page after an entire LN, I can keep this to just three paragraphs.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Napping Knoll</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>One of the rarest occasions in Aincrad is the so-called Perfect Weather setting.  Warm sun beating down over a gentle breeze without a bug in sight.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This version is based more heavily on the LN version than the anime one.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Asuna was walking towards the field from town on the 59th floor.Sweeping her gaze across the landscape, she saw a black shape on the neighboring hill.She walked over, only to find him sprawled out on the grass.</p><p class="p1">“What do you think you’re doing?Everyone else is working hard to clear the dungeon.”</p><p class="p1">He spared a half open eye to look at her.He sighed.“Aincrad’s on its best weather setting today.Nice sun, gentle breeze, no bugs of any kind…”</p><p class="p1">“That’s no excuse.Every minute we stay in here is another minute gone from our lives in the real world.It’s not you that you need to worry about, but those who can’t fight for themselves.”She said, hands akimbo as she moved over him.</p><p class="p1">“But we aren’t in the real world, are we?We’re alive in Aincrad.I hope you haven’t forgotten that, dear Vice Commander.”His eyes remained stubbornly closed.</p><p class="p1">“And those who are struggling in the middle levels, working to push themselves up the castle?” she harrumphed, ready to turn her back on him and call it a lost cause.</p><p class="p1">“This is a game, at its heart.To not try to enjoy it is criminal. For most of the mid level players, they are playing it almost normally.Quests, items, things to keep you entertained.I do this not to spite them, but to understand them.To keep in mind that this world, at its heart, is supposed to be fun.”</p><p class="p1">“This may be a game, but it isn’t meant to be played.”Asuna spoke the words that had come from the phantom at the end of the tutorial.“Heathcliff won’t let us forget that.And you shouldn’t either.This isn’t a game, it's a struggle between life and death.”</p><p class="p1">“But you can’t forget the ‘life’ part of ‘life and death,’” he retorted from the ground.</p><p class="p1">“Sleeping isn’t life! Not for the rest of us.”</p><p class="p1">“And when was the last time you took a nice long soak?” He sat up, looking at her intensely.He was one of maybe three people in the game who knew of her passion for baths and hot springs.</p><p class="p1">She looked back at him.“I’ve never let it get in the way of clearing.A quick soak after a long day of clearing is just self care.”</p><p class="p1">“And how do you know that I didn’t just get back from an incredibly long night in the dungeons?”Kirito’s smirk gave him away, the bastard.</p><p class="p1">“The look on your face for one.The ‘tired Kirito’ look rarely looks so pleased to see me.”</p><p class="p1">“But I know the ‘tired Asuna’ look better than most people in your guild, no?”She harrumphed, but he pressed on.“Old Ironface doesn’t quite have the same ring as Lightning Flash, does it?”Suddenly, his eyes changed.“You’re tired Asuna.You can hide it for most, but not to me.For old times?”Now he was looking up at her, with the most vulnerable eyes she had seen on him in a long time.“Just sit with me and enjoy the sun?”And how could she say no to that?</p><p class="p1">With a look around, her eyes shifted upward, and she saw the breeze ruffle the leaves above her, the sun peeking through holes to shine its warmth on her face.She sighed, and saying nothing, sat down on the grass next to him.She hated to admit it to herself, but she was tired.Her head fell back, and she left the soft ground come up to hug her back.</p><hr/><p class="p1">
  <em>She felt more than heard the warning, ducking out of the way.She spun up and around, turning her dodge into a quick strike.Asuna jabbed out at the 22nd Floor boss,Her quick strikes drew its attention, and as she faded back for the tanks to take their places, exchanged a thanking smile with him.He grinned back, motioning for them to return to the adds.They weren’t on the main boss like usual, but when something bad happened, they were always ready to step up.She had led the charge that day, and he backed up without a word of warning.They danced together, dodging and striking to give the main group a little more time to regroup after the sudden tactics change. </em>
</p><p class="p1">
  <em> Settling back into their attack against the adds, a sense of joy and pride passed between them.Asuna basked in the feeling of helping the main attack team, and the instant gratification was nice.On the worst days, they could have conversations with just their fingers playing in the air, but at the best of times, like now, she could feel what he felt.A twinge of fear at a strike coming towards her, the pulse of pleasure at a successful maneuver.</em>
</p><hr/><p class="p1">It was sunset when she woke, a little sneeze rousing her from her slumber.The sun had sunk down so it was visible between the layers of the Steel Castle.She had fallen asleep in the late morning, so it must have been nearly eight to ten hours that she slept.The weather was a little brisker, but the breeze had settled so she was just basking in the last light of the sun on the soft grass.Mumbling to herself, she turned her gaze back from the sky to the area around her.</p><p class="p1">“Good morning,” he said from the fence nearby.He smiled his gentle smile, one she hadn’t seen in so long.</p><p class="p1">Anger welled up in her.But nearly as quickly, it subsided.For all their fighting at suggesting, no, practically demanding that she lay down next to him, he had watched over her. Made sure she was safe from Sleep PK and let her sleep to catch up on the sleep she hadn’t been getting.It wore on her a lot, to manage what many called the most powerful guild, and try to keep up with the most aggressive leveling curve herself. </p><p class="p1">A flash of understanding passed between them.Even in her groggy state, she understood that he had waited for her, and he too had lost a day in the dungeons.“One meal.”He made a confused noise at this.“A meal, my treat, and we’re even.I can’t let my debts go unpaid, now can I?”</p><p class="p1">Asuna’s only hope wasn’t that he asked to go to her house and have her cook for him.She would have done it, that was part of the deal, but she didn’t want him to see her house, to see that much farther into her life than he already saw.</p><p class="p1">“There’s a nice place on the 57th floor, how does that sound?”Asuna was glad to see that he still had the decency to not push into her personal space.So she grabbed his arm and pulled him toward the teleport gate.</p><p class="p1">The 57th floor was close enough to the front lines that it was still frequented by many front liners, but it was far enough away from the leading edge itself that it was a regular tourist attraction, especially for dinner after a long day of adventuring. The higher floors tended to have nicer food than the lower ones, so players often went as high up in the castle as they could afford to.So that was how Asuna found herself walking through a very crowded city center with Kirito by her side and feeling ever so uncomfortable.</p><p class="p1">Not that she could express it to her temporary dinner companion.She was famous enough, being one of the few female clearers.Being at the top of one of the two major guilds also didn’t help.She had heard rumors there was a fan club somewhere, but she could never squeeze it out of Daizen whether or not he sponsored them.Heathcliff said it was good for business, but she was still unsure of how having a bunch of stalkers was good for the business of clearing.But most people knew of her, and they didn’t know Kirito beside her.And worst yet, if they did know Kirito, they would know of the mutual animosity between the two high leveled players and few things could look stranger than two sworn enemies walking through town to a private dinner together.</p><p class="p1">“My all black attire seems to have attracted some unwanted attention, huh?”He joked, barely hiding his own discomfort.</p><p class="p1">“By all means, if you have something flasher that will somehow be less noticeable, please change.”She tossed her hair over her shoulder as best she could.She wasn’t sure where they were going, so he had to lead for most of the trip.She took a measure of comfort in knowing he felt just as uncomfortable in this situation.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">They found the restaurant off one of the main streets, but it was close to the main square to stay busy.Kirito got them a seat in the corner, and pulled her chair out for her.Her old manners kicked in, and she gracefully accepted and sat down, while he was still fumbling.“I recommend the fish over the meat here,” he said before ordering a huge four course meal, complete with wine.He was nice at least, and got everything for two, and when the bottle arrived, he poured a glass for them both.There was no alcohol in the wine, but it was still the most flavorful drink at most restaurants.Personally, Asuna thought that it helped project a layer of adulthood for the younger player as well, but no one, including herself, would ever admit that.</p><p class="p1">“They don’t have milk tea here, although I know you love it.I found a good place that serves a rose tea down on the 47th floor.Although the shop is never empty, and always full of couples,” he looked annoyed.</p><p class="p1">“Isn’t that the flower floor?I’m surprised you didn’t go for your nap there.”</p><p class="p1">“Ehh, too many bugs.All those plants attract bugs like nothing else.Even though that floor seems to be decoupled from the main seasons, the flowers are always in bloom, so there’s no need for pollinators to be buzzing all around.”</p><p class="p1">Just then, the first course arrived.It was an appetizer of finely shredded cheese over small circles of bread with bits of what looked like tomato and avocado.Something like a bruschetta.It paired wonderfully with the full bodied red wine Kirito bought.</p><p class="p1">“Well, thank you for today.”Asuna said before popping one of the little cracker like appetizers into her mouth.</p><p class="p1">“Mmm, well, any time?I couldn’t very well let you get sleep PK’d, now could I?I’d let the whole assault team down if I let the vice commander die.”</p><p class="p1">“More than that. It was the first time I’ve slept comfortably in a long while.”The last time she had was rather unspoken.</p><p class="p1">“Have you been taking care of yourself?The nightmares were bad before, but I thought...” he trailed off, not wanting to say anything that made her uncomfortable.As if implying the same thing was any better</p><p class="p1">“As best I can.My body’s in no more danger than usual, and I'm doing fine with what sleep I do get.Three hours isn’t great, but it gives me time to keep levelling.”Asuna paused, taking a sip of the wine.“They are better than they used to be, but still happen.Different things, you know?Responsibility sucks sometimes.”The implication was enough for his face to contort.</p><p class="p1">In Asuna’s heart, she knew that the person in front of her was just as human as she was.But the black coat, the embodiment of the opposition at boss planning meetings, it masked him more than the time apart had.She knew he also joined a guild right after she had, but when he reappeared on the front line a few months later, there was no guild tag.Like he was never a part of it at all. </p><p class="p1">With a look of understanding with uncertain origins, he gently stammered out “w-well, if you need to take another nap, let me know.” </p><p class="p1">“I’ll leave finding the optimal weather up to you then,” Asuna said with a smile, digging into the salad that had just arrived.Decadently done with some kind of roasted nut and some sweet liquid that resembled a salad dressing of unknown kind. </p><p class="p1">“It’s been a while since we’ve eaten together like this,” he mumbled, probably trying to break the tension.Asuna thought back to their last meal together.It had been deep in a dungeon, a little portable meal before that big battle.</p><p class="p1">“I’ve gotten better at it too, you know.75% of the way to mastering the cooking skill.”Asuna looked at him proudly, chewing slowly through the salad.</p><p class="p1">“You’re… you’re….”</p><p class="p1">“Amazing?Fantastic?Beautiful beyond your wildest dreams?”</p><p class="p1">“Insane,” he deadpanned.They both let out a laugh at that, before a blood curdling scream could be heard.“Outside” was all he said before they both sprinted out, their meal forgotten.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Outside, a crowd gathered in the town’s central plaza.Hanging from a large stone building that appeared to be a church was a player.Asuna thought it looked like he had just come back from a day in the field, still in full plate armor.But the most concerning part was the massive spear impaled in his chest.Without pausing, she and Kirito continued to run full speed toward him.</p><p class="p1">“Pull it out!!”Kirito shouted to the man hanging by what appeared to be a noose.The man looked over to us sprinting towards him, and then glanced to his upper left hand corner.He was checking his HP, the amount of life he had left in this world.</p><p class="p1">Asuna’s first instinct was to bolt up the stairs and try to cut him down from inside, but something told her that she wouldn’t be able to do that.Looking around frantically, she saw a small stack of crates on the raised entryway to the church.“Catch him from below!” She bellowed at Kirito as she ran towards them, drawing her sword.</p><p class="p1">Understanding quickly, he kept running straight as she bounded up the crates and activated a sword skill.Flashing Penetrator was pretty powerful, but its real advantage was it’s forced reach.Aiming the skill up in the air, she was catapulted by the system into the air.She missed the rope with her skill itself, but after the momentary freezeframe, she took a normal swipe at the rope and it severed, cutting the player free.</p><p class="p1">She tumbled in air, caught in the disorientation of her extreme focus on only cutting the rope. She sailed past the player in her parabolic arc, and took a roll as she hit the ground.She turned around to see Kirito holding the player in his arms, setting on the ground as he tried to pull the thorned spear out of his chest.“Yolko!”He screamed, thrashing as he gripped the spear.</p><p class="p1">Another scream came from the crowd, and a girl came out.She appeared to be 17 or 18, and a look of sheer terror came over her face.She stood in stunned silence for a moment, before rushing to the injured player’s side.“Kains?Kains!No, please don’t!”She screamed at him, shaking his shoulders.</p><p class="p1">If they were duelling, it didn’t seem likely Yolko was the opponent.Kirito kept pulling at the spear, and just as she saw it start to move, Kains had a look of sheer terror on his face, and Yolko screamed again.There was nothing they could do as his body shattered into polygons.Kains had just died, in a safe zone.</p><p class="p1">“Everyone, look around for the winner of the duel!” Asuna screamed, scanning the crowd herself.Kirito looked worried and sprinted into the church, probably checking if anyone was inside, and could possibly be the duel PK’er.Asuna took the spear into her inventory, and consoled Yolko as best as she could.</p><p class="p1">Kirito popped his head out of the window with the rope remnant a second later, shaking his head.Asuna cocked her head to the side, motioning for him to come down.He looked annoyed, like he wanted to discuss something in the privacy of the church room.Asuna fixed him with a light stare, and he relented, turning back into the room to come down.</p><p class="p1">Turning to the crowd gathered there, she steeled herself.There was no duel winner indicator, and Kirito had not found anyone hiding in the church.By the time he got back down, it would have been 30 seconds, and any pop up would have disappeared.If there was a way to kill a player inside the Anti Criminal Affect Area, someone needed to take care of it.Something like this would strike terror into the hearts of everyone in Aincrad, and no place would be safe.</p><p class="p1">“Yolko, would you be ok to talk about what happened?” The girl gave a small nod as Kirito emerged from the church.His lips opened to start talking, but a flick of her eyes to the girl she was hugging and the crowd quickly shut him up.“Does anyone else have any information about what happened?”No one came forward to the now standing Asuna, Kirito, and Yolko combo.“If anyone remembers something, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me.”Even if they weren’t her on her Friends list, she was easily distinguishable, and Asuna had no doubt that any informant would make their way to KoB headquarters if it meant a chance to talk to the Vice Commander.</p><p class="p1">“Yolko, I know you’ve had a traumatic experience, but would you be ok to tell us what happened?”Kirito spoke far gentler than I had him before to a stranger.At her nod, he asked if she had an inn room for the night. “If you’re ok, I’d like to talk somewhere safer, and your inn room is about the safest place there is right now.I’ve got a high detection skill so I can tell if someone is trying to listen in or break into your room too,” he reassured her.They then set out to the inn in another corner of the town.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">“His name was Kains,” Yolko spoke quietly, sitting on the bed still wrapped in her cloak.There was a hollowness to her eyes, but she kept looking down, not making eye contact with either of the two clearers in the room.“We were meeting up for dinner, but we got separated around 6:15, and when I saw him again, he was hanging from that rope.”Kirito rubbed his hand on her back comfortingly.</p><p class="p1">“We used to be in a guild together, but still got together to team up or eat.He was nice, especially after the guild went our separate ways.It was a nice escape from everyday exploring to see him.But now…”she sobbed just a little, “now he’s gone!”</p><p class="p1">“I’m sorry Yolko.We want to find out who did this to your friend. Did you see anyone else?”</p><p class="p1">“For just a moment, it looked like there was a cloaked figure behind Kains in the window.But they never came out of the church door.” She spoke quietly, almost conspiratorially.</p><p class="p1">Asuna and Kirito shared a look.The two needed to talk, away from Yolko.So Asuna thanked her, sent her a friend request, and the two bid her goodnight with a promise to check in tomorrow morning.</p><p class="p1"> </p><p class="p1">Outside the inn, the two walked the promenade of some shops.“I didn’t see anyone inside the church.I don’t know of any hiding skills or items that would work well so as to avoid my Searching inside a simple building like that,” Kirito spoke, pointing them back toward the square where some twenty people still stood gathered.</p><p class="p1">“And there was no duel winner indicator in the plaza.If the perpetrator had been inside the church to push Kains out, they couldn’t have gotten out, had to have been hiding, or used a teleport crystal.But Kains was with someone, so it couldn’t have been a Sleep PK, manipulating his menu as he slept.”</p><p class="p1">“And from his build, he had been playing seriously for a while, he wouldn’t just accept a duel like that, especially not to the death or when he was just with a friend.There’s something more going on here.”As Kirito said this, they entered the town square again.</p><p class="p1">The people gathered were mostly high level clearers, waiting on the report from the two.Asuna told them how they suspected something was up, implying some sort of Inside Area PK skill or item.“Please be careful and warn others, even when walking inside the Inner Area.”</p><p class="p1">“I’ll pass this off to Argo and the other newspaper publishers.That should spread the word quickly enough,” a leader from a larger guild spoke, and with that, the spell was broken and people started to disperse. </p><p class="p1">“So, what do we know,” Kirito got down to business quickly as the others started to scatter.“We have the two pieces of rope and the spear used to kill Kains, but that’s about it.I think we should research what we can about the two sooner rather than later.Although, my appraisal skill is nowhere near high enough.”</p><p class="p1">“I have a blacksmith friend, but with the new ore found on the new western fields, she’s been incredibly busy this week, I’m not sure if we could go there.”</p><p class="p1">“I do have a merchant friend, even if he’s somewhat unreliable at times.”Asuna assented to that, so he quickly typed out a message.“This seems very purposeful.With no duel, there’s something a lot bigger than us going on.”</p><p class="p1">“We need to take care of this quickly.I don’t want this sitting around.The game is making progress, but we’d lose almost all the support classes if the Inner Area was no longer considered safe. This isn’t something we can pass off to someone else and hope it blows over.For now, you’re stuck with me.”Her tone was complicated, Asuna wasn’t sure if she completely understood it herself.</p><p class="p1">“I’m with you on that,” he hesitated a bit.“Can we call it a truce then?”Their earlier confrontations on his mind.He looked uncomfortable, flighty even.</p><p class="p1">“I can be the utmost professional, Mr. Solo Player.I expect the same from you.”Asuna used her usual business tone.Not arguing, not being opposed at either side of a boss planning table, nor fighting like they had all those months ago.“This isn’t about us, it’s about everyone else in this game.For all our differences, we at least agree on the importance of that.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito nodded.He didn’t have to say it explicitly.His reaction, calming Yolko, his dedication to this from the moment he saw Kains hung up outside a church.For all his selfish talk, he did care about others and the wellbeing of the game as a whole.“And I’m sorry if I’ve come across as harsh. You do clearing for everyone, and it’s valiant.We might have to leave the front lines for a few days, but I hope you know this is just as, if not more important, at least in my eyes.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna felt a little bad.Some days, she wasn’t clearing for everyone.She was fighting for herself, for the scared little girl wrapped up in the inn during the first week, for the successful young woman she would be on the other side.But she brushed those thoughts aside as she focused on the task at hand.Kirito and her had some differences in opinion, but they could work together for this.“Well, we need to head off to meet your friend then.”</p><hr/><p class="p1">They arrived on the 50th floor’s main city, Algade, shortly thereafter.Of all the settlements in the Steel Castle, this one earned itself the designation “city” more than any other.Always bustling, full of NPCs and players at almost all hours, it was the midway point of the castle.With the frontline being only nine floors above, it stood as the great landmark of clearing progress.Personally, Asuna found herself lost almost every time she came to the busy place.</p><p class="p1">Walking a bit, she grabbed Kirito’s arm and pulled him to the side.“Don’t just buy something weird!”He practically screamed at her as she grabbed and paid for two kebabs off a street vendor.</p><p class="p1">“Relax, after hitting 700 on the Cooking skill, you pick up how tasty food will be just by looking at it.”While not technically true, it was around that proficiency that she could start estimating the flavor of most food from certain visual and smell cues.It’s not like he would ever get to that level in a non-essential skill either.“Plus, I still owe you a meal, and salad and bruschetta does not a meal make.”</p><p class="p1">He looked incredulous.Whether it was from the cooking skill or how his repayment meal went from a five course sitdown experience to a meat kebab off the street, she couldn’t tell.Nor did she really want to know.</p><p class="p1">Kirito had managed to pick his jaw off the floor by the time they reached his merchant friend’s shop.The large man had to shoo only about two people out of this shop as he temporarily closed it and took them into a back room.</p><p class="p1">Asuna had known Agil for a long time, but she was never exceptionally close to him.“Agil, you might not be axe-ceptionally close to Asuna, but I’m sure you’ve heard of him.Asuna, this is Agil, my swindling merchant friend.”</p><p class="p1">The two looked equally scandalized at the introductions.“A pun?The girl who looked ready to kill you not three and half floors ago and you introduce her with a pun like you’re old war buddies?”The axe-wielding merchant was indignant.</p><p class="p1">“To be fair Agil, Asuna and I are basically old war buddies.”</p><p class="p1">“You can’t call us old war buddies when we’re still in the war!”Asuna interrupted.“Apologies for Kirito’s callousness.We were wondering if you could help us out.”She proceeded to get their conversation quickly on track by explaining what had happened on the 57th floor.</p><p class="p1">“Well, the rope’s nothing special, NPC bought, but rapidly running out of durability after that dramatic slice you gave it, Vice Commander,” Agil said after she handed over the two items.“But this weapon’s player made, I can tell you that.Someone by the name of Grimlock.”</p><p class="p1">“What’s it called?”Kirito asked, leaning forward.</p><p class="p1">“Guilty Thorn, means thorns of sin or something.I haven’t heard much of either, but that basically only means whoever they are, they’re not top levelled.”The conversation continued as they discussed the situation.</p><p class="p1">At the end of the night, they decided they needed to visit the Monument of Swordsmen to check the relevant players, and run some tests on damage in the Inner Area.Agil had to reopen his shop, so Kirito and Asuna took their leave.</p><hr/><p class="p1">Down on the first floor, the two walked into the Black Iron Palace.It was the home of the Aincrad Liberation Force, informally called the Army.While a good portion of the castle was off limits to those not in the guild without an escort, the old Room of Resurrection and access to the prisons were open to the public.</p><p class="p1">“Did Yolko say how Kains was romanized?”Kirito asked as they entered the room with the massive stone.</p><p class="p1">“I don’t think so. She was really shaken up, so I don’t blame her.I don’t think we should send her a PM either, it’s getting oftly late,” Asuna check her clock, it was nearly 9PM.Not too late in terms of the game, but after something tragic like that, she would not want to be bothered by something like this.“I imagine it could either be with a ‘C’ or a ‘K’, but not sure on the exact spelling.”</p><p class="p1">“I’ll start the K’s then,” Kirito said quickly, moving to around the center of the block.Asuna shrugged as she moved to the C block toward the start of it.It really was difficult to have so many of the game’s features documented primarily in English when almost everyone playing was guaranteed to speak Japanese.</p><p class="p1">She glanced over to Kirito, who was running his hand against a name on the walll, looking solemn.He wasn’t saying anything, just running his fingers along the carved stone.If he wasn’t calling out to her, she’d let him be.This was as close to a grave as many players got.A wall of hope, but also one of sadness and despair.”</p><p class="p1">She returned her attention to the wall.She moved through the C’s relatively quickly.She had been decently proficient at English in school, and living in a partially romanized game made her all the better at sounding out player names.Of all the C’s, the only one that stood out to her was “Caynz,” who was still alive.She turned to look to her temporary partner, who was still scanning.</p><p class="p1">She moved over to him and started at the other end.He looked over in surprise but said nothing, continuing down his search.They met up around “Kwain,” which was a very odd name to both of them.Asuna thought it was a mis-romanization of “Gawain” from the Arthurian legend, but didn’t voice her thoughts.</p><p class="p1">“The only one I found was C-A-Y-N-Z, but that’s a somewhat odd spelling with the N-Z at the end.He was alive though.”</p><p class="p1">“I found a K-A-I-N-S, dead today, April 22 at 18:27.”They both shared a look.It matched the sound of the name, and the time of death.“Piercing DOT too, if that confirms the case.”</p><p class="p1">“It looks like we’ll have to break the definite bad news to Yolko tomorrow.Meanwhile, let’s see if Grimlock is here, so we at least have another lead.”The two went over to the G’s, having a much easier time since Agil had shown them how it was romanized from his window.</p><p class="p1">“Well, looks like he’s still kicking.I’ll shoot Argo a message to see if she can track him down.How’s 9AM at the 57th floor teleport gate sound to you?”Kirito pulled up his message screen tapping away toward the Rat.</p><p class="p1">“Works for me.I’ll message Yolko that we can meet her around 10AM?I doubt she’ll want to walk around alone, so we can probably meet her back at the inn.In the meantime, I think we should carry out those Inner Area experiments so we have some bargaining power with Argo.”</p><p class="p3"> </p><p class="p3">A short while later, the two had stocked up on several healing potions and pulled out a healing crystal apiece in case of catastrophe.Kirito went first, taking some of his throwing picks and trying to jab them into his hand.A purple hexagon popped up an inch above his skin, blocking the point.He tried to poke Asuna with it, but got the same hexagon.Asuna got a harassment warning for his close proximity and aggression.</p><p class="p3">Asuna took her turn trying the same things, with the same results.They then repeated with Guilty thorn, but got nowhere inside the Inner Area.When Kirito stepped out into the Field then stabbed himself, the blade did penetrate.He saw the few pixels dropping off his HP gauge, but stepped back into the Area to test their theory.Immediately, the damage stopped, but did not heal any faster than his battle healing already did.The same happened with Guilty thorn and on Asuna. </p><p class="p3">“Hey, can you check your glove’s durability?Just a hunch?”Kirito said as Asuna walked back into the Area with Guilty thorn hanging out of her arm. Her long gloves were up to her wrists, and were poked through with the weapon.</p><p class="p3">“Yeah, they are decreasing, ever so slowly though.Gotta love dragonhide.”</p><p class="p3">“That’s sort of what I thought.It was just a thought, but since you could cut the rope inside the Area, I didn’t think items were affected.It seems even equipped items aren’t safe.”</p><p class="p3">“I suppose you’re right.And the bleeding animation doesn’t stop inside the Area.I think it just locks the HP gauge. Probably to prevent people skirting using crystals and potions by just popping back into the Area and getting insta-cured.”</p><p class="p3">“I think that’s all on the Agenda for tonight, Ms Vice Commander.Shall I walk you home?”Kirito’s awkward formality returned as he steered towards goodbye.</p><p class="p3">“I’m quite alright to walk back myself, thank you. But we can head back to the teleport gate together.”He looked relieved somehow.“Don’t worry, Mr. Solo Player, you’re not in trouble just yet.Are you alright though?” </p><p class="p3">Kirito looked at her, recognition taking a second to register with his mind.He realized she had seen him at the Monument. “Umm, well, I don’t really like talking about it.”</p><p class="p3">“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Asuna said gently, resting her hand on his shoulder in a show of support.</p><p class="p3">“Ahh-umm.I should though, probably.It was right after… you know.” He paused as the timeline settled for Asuna.Right after the 25th floor, after they stopped partnering up.“I joined a guild.I was down on a lower floor to gather mats, and they were a bit in over their heads.You know how it goes.Swoop in, overkill a bit to pretend to not be so powerful, get some kids out of trouble.But they offered me a spot in their guild.”</p><p class="p3">“I-I couldn’t say no.You just joined the KoB.It was lonely just fighting by myself.But they were mid level players.Up and coming, but I stopped them.”Asuna started rubbing his shoulder in support.“They went into a higher level dungeon, we got trapped in an anti-crystal room.”</p><p class="p3">“The guild leader wasn’t with them that day.He–he couldn’t handle it.Not that I can blame him.He was the only person who it really hurt to be called a Beater, right before he ended up on that wall.”</p><p class="p3">Asuna didn’t say anything, just wrapped him in a hug as he started to sob gently.She hadn’t held him like this in what felt like forever, but their past agreements had to stay to the side for now.He needed someone, and Kirito wasn’t the type to unload on anyone.Asuna could tell there was more to it, but to get this much out of him was a big step.It was also a testament to how lonely he must be now to confess all this to someone who he hadn’t partnered with in a year, who he got into nearly constant fights with.</p><p class="p3">“Shh, it’s ok.I know it’s hard.You fought for them.It’s ok, I’m here now.”Asuna whispered words of support as she guided him from walking to a bench.Still in the starting city, she realized that the inn she had stayed in her first week was across the street. </p><p class="p3">“It’s all my fault. I lied to them.I lied about my level.I lied about being a dirty beater.I lied about being able to protect them.I lied to Sachi.”He was sobbing now.Asuna hugged him closer, whispering to him.He slowly quieted down as he hugged her back, moving his arms from their clenched position in front of his chest to around her.</p><p class="p3">“Thank you Asuna.I think I owe you a meal now.”</p><p class="p3">“Hush you.Let’s get you back to your place.We have a busy day tomorrow.”Asuna helped him get up, and the two moved towards the teleport gate.Hugging each other on the side as they went, happy enough in the silence of each other’s presence.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Ahh, look at those two cuties.  Two angry and broken people who can be abrasive, but lean on each other.  Warms my little heart.  They’ve also found out a couple key secrets sooner than expected because it's boring to just copy Early and Late but with more angst.</p><p>It’s interesting trying to write from Asuna’s perspective.  The LNs have almost everything from Kirito’s perspective, and first person at that, and only switch around occasionally, always to third person.  This story isn’t supposed to be too heavily focused on either of the two, but them together.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Lunch and a Chat</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Kirito and Asuna investigate the case.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="p1">Around 8:45, Asuna was talking towards the central square to grab a bite to eat and teleport over to the meeting with Argo.As she approached the gate, several players emerged from the crowd.</p><p class="p1">“Good morning Asuna.I had a question for you,” a burly looking tank at the front asked.</p><p class="p1">“Sure Schmitt, what is it?”Asuna doubted it was something pleasant.Even niceties were dangerous when you were a famous girl in a mostly male player base.</p><p class="p1">“You were digging around about the death on the 57th floor, right?”Asuna nodded.“It wasn’t a duel, was it?”He looked nervous, glancing to his sides to confirm his fellow guildmates were still.</p><p class="p1">“No, I don’t think it was,” Asuna said. </p><p class="p1">Before she could continue, he interrupted, saying “and you picked up the murder weapon too?”</p><p class="p1">“I don’t have it with me, it’s with a secure source.Did you know the victim?”</p><p class="p1">“You can’t hog all the evidence to yourself!”He said, ignoring her question.</p><p class="p1">“Schmitt, I appreciate it, but I have it well in hand.I don’t want to divert any extra resources away from the front lines for this investigation,” Asuna replied, holding her position.There were now six players around her, holding at a respectable distance, but definitely boxing her in.They all looked like heavy tanks, likely under Schmitt’s direct command as Defensive Coordinator for the DDA.They didn’t seem like a full guild task force, just close friends of Schmitt.“Did you know the victim?”</p><p class="p1">“Just don’t go sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong,” Schmitt said and turned to leave.</p><p class="p1">Striding up to him, she grabbed his pauldron and spun him around.“You might be able to get away with intimidating other players to stay out of your business, but you’d do well to remember that even if I’m in a different guild, both our Guild Masters gave me priority in dealing with all things clearing,”she said forcely, looking him straight in the eye.“This is a safety concern.For everyone in this game, so I’m asking you, did you know the victim?Did you know Kains?”His look of fear told her all that she needed to know.WIth a sigh, she finished, “If you desire, I can keep you apprised of the situation, but we will get to the bottom of this.”</p><p class="p1">With that, Asuna moved around him and walked to the teleport gate.Schmitt looked angry and was about to follow her up onto the teleport dias to give her a piece of his mind, but one of the other tanks with them held him back.Asuna kept her gaze pointed at them as she teleported away.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p3">On the 57th floor, she saw Kirito standing off to the side of the plaza, poking around aimlessly in his menu.Knowing him, he was probably lamenting the lack of minigames to kill time while waiting for people.</p><p class="p1">He saw her, hastily dismissing his menu.He motioned for her to follow him, and they made their way to a sketchy looking cafe on the outskirts of town the opposite direction from the normal field entrance.Typical Argo meeting place, especially so early in the morning.Inside, they moved to a booth in the corner, sitting down across from a small figure in a hooded cloak.</p><p class="p1">“Aa-chan, Ki-bou, good to see you.I imagine this has to do with the little scene last night on this floor?”Without lifting her hood, the Rat looked up to expose her face.The whiskers shone against the light color of her skin, marking the Info Dealer.</p><p class="p1">“Good to see you too, Argo.Before we get into it, I was just stopped by Schmitt and several DDA tanks on my way to see you all.He was asking about what happened last night, but didn’t want to give any information. He got snippy, so I gave him a piece of my mind, but he was clearly bothered.”</p><p class="p1">“A freebie, that’s rare from you, Aa.I can respond in kind.He was asking around late last night after the news went around, inquiring about a Kains.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito looked surprised, he never had this much luck with the info dealer.“How did he spell Kains?”</p><p class="p1">“500 Cor for that,” Argo said as Kirito nodded and opened a trade window.Asuan didn’t see him close it, which was probably wise, all things considered.“C-A-Y-N-Z.Why do you ask?”</p><p class="p1">“Ahh, that’s the 1000 Cor question, isn’t it?But for you, just 750.”Argo gave him a ‘this better be good look,’ but handed over the cash.“There were two names that could be pronounced ‘Kains’ on the Monument of Swordsmen last night.”</p><p class="p1">“And Caynz with a C was alive, while Kains with a K was not.I do believe that sheds some interesting light on this situation.”Asuna looked between the two old friends, annoyed at the piles of money they both had ready at hand.“For the moment, can we just keep a tab, I don’t want to wait while you two hash out every single little Cor in front of me.”</p><p class="p1">“You haven’t chilled much with time, huh, Aa?Well, Ki-boy, I guess we gotta do this quick kind.”She winked at him, pulling up a small virtual whiteboard, and set it to visible and left it on the table. There were three columns, with a whisker face over one, a small bathtub with steam rising out of it, and a third a pair of underwear on a stick for the third.</p><p class="p1">Noticing the two’s stares at her, Argo shrugged.“These are my generic symbols for each of you.Your love of baths is not really a secret, Aa.And with the stunt you pulled over the floor boss just a while ago, you shouldn’t be surprised I pull it up, Ki-boy.”</p><p class="p1">The boy in question flushed, just a bit.“Hey, I resent that!I was reasonably appropriate for the situation!She beat me in a duel!”The two looked indignant at the accusation, but Asuna saw Argo hiding a smirk. </p><p class="p3">“So you showed the entire raid group her homemade panties from the first two months of the game?Why, Ki-boy, I’m more worried why you had them.”</p><p class="p3">“There is a fortune to be made there.Why does the dark and broody Black Swordsman, the bane of clearing progress, have the saintly Vice Commander of the Knights of the Blood’s underwear?He must have snuck up on her while she was bathing and stolen them!”Asuna put a hand to her forehead and fake swooned under the immense pressure.</p><p class="p3">“I did no such thing!You told me to carry them because you had filled your entire inventory with them!”Kirito looked between the two women wearing thick smirks, and realized he had been beat.He sighed as they broke out into peals of laughter.“But back to the situation at hand, have you heard of a Grimlock?Should be a smith of some kind.He made the spear that was in the victim’s chest.”</p><p class="p1">After Argo stopped laughing, she thought for a moment.“Oh Kirito, never change.Only you could make holding onto Aa’s under clothes such a gentlemanly act!Never made much of a name for himself as a smith, I’d say.But he was involved in a guild a while back.The guild itself was never super noticeable, run of the mill small mid level guild.It’s mainly notable because our friendly Defensive Coordinator, Schmitt, joined the DDA right after it dissolved.”She wrote down what looked like ten thousand Cor on the whiteboard.Now they were breaking out the big guns.This wasn’t stuff they could just find with a bit of extra time, the important stuff.</p><p class="p1">“Do you know the name of the guild, or any of the other members?”Kirito asked, not even glancing at the whiteboard.</p><p class="p1">“Eight in total, 2k a name.”</p><p class="p1">“I guess we’ll just have to shell out for them all, huh?But we only need six more at least,” Asuna said with a sigh at the high price tag.</p><p class="p1">“Okie-dokie then, Aa.We’ve got guild leader Griselda, her hubby Grimlock the smith, your good friend Schmitt, but no charge for him.Your other friend Caynz, his lady friend Yolko,, Pietre the pole axe user, Terran the spearman, and Hilda the shield and sword wielder.”</p><p class="p1">“It seems everyone here is rather interconnected, isn’t it?I can’t say I’ve heard of the first or the last three people though.If Schmitt joined the assault team right after the guild dissolved, that’s around what, six months ago?Quite a while for things to be sitting around and then start popping up again, huh?”Kirito said, rubbing at his chin.</p><p class="p1">“But there’s something else.The other Kains with a K had a death date that was exactly yesterday evening.But the Caynz that Schmitt seems to know should still be alive.There’s no year on the Monument of Swordsmen, and since this is the second April in the game, its impossible to know if it was yesterday or a year ago.It’s rare to have a name that could be romanized two different ways.”Asuna was pensive for a bit, considering the implications of this.“I think we’re going to need to get more information out of Yolko first.But we shouldn’t tip our hand about the two Kainses just yet.”<br/>“Aye, I’d say there’s more thans meeting the eye, Aa.But what was this interesting research you had for me, Ki-boy?”</p><p class="p1">Kirito launched into their discoveries the night before about damage in the safe zone.It wasn’t difficult to do, but somewhat tedious to do all those tests, and with the unknown element of Guilty Thorn, it was a bit more valuable.Nowhere near offsetting the expensive information they had purchased from Argo though.After settling the tab, Kirito and Asuna bit the info dealer farewell and went to meet Yolko.</p><p class="p1">“I think we need to come out strong about it.We know they’re playing a game, and we should stop it.The panic and fear from this incident needs to be put down immediately,” Kirito said as they left the cafe.</p><p class="p1">“I disagree.Yolko was shaken up, for a reason.Or she’s a fantastic actor.We get her to close up, and we might lose our chance at what’s going on here.This seems too elaborate for a simple prank.And we still don’t know quite how they did it.”</p><p class="p1">“This isn’t something we can take our time on, you said it yourself.Now is the time for strong action!We can stop this before the rumors really set in and pass it off as a big attention seeking stunt of a new red PKing guild.”Kirito was barely raising his voice, but Asuna picked up on it.He was calling her out on her lack of action, when she was usually the brash one of the two, driven to clear the game.</p><p class="p1">“Did you hear her scream Kirito?She was in an absolute panic.There’s something more going on.”</p><p class="p1">“Of course I heard her screams!That’s why we need to move now!”He was breathing heavily.“If she doesn’t know, and she thinks he’s dead, the guilt is unbearable.” He clenched his fists.He turned to look at her, steel in his eyes. “I would, and have, tried everything to bring even one person back.If we can spare her that pain, we owe it to her.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna’s mouth hung open just a smidge.Her upbringing trained her better than to let it gape, but the intensity of Kirito’s emotions got to her.This had to be related to what he was saying last night.It didn’t make sense.Everyone in SAO had lost someone, but Asuna had only seen him disappear for an extended period once, and she saw the change in him afterward. </p><p class="p1">“Alright, but let’s do it softly.If we’ve got it wrong, she’ll still take it poorly.”Kirito nodded, and they walked the last block in silence.</p><p class="p1">Asuna raised her hand to knock at the door, and paused for a second, locking eyes with Kirito. Together, they nodded and she knocked.Yolko met them at the door, and ushered them in, swiftly looking around for any eavesdroppers.The three sat around the small table in the room.</p><p class="p1">“How are you doing Yolko?”Asuna started softly, extending her hand to the other girl’s shoulder.“I hope you were able to sleep well.”The bed on the side of the room was neatly made, but that could be done with the tap of a button, and didn’t say much.</p><p class="p1">The girl gave a halfhearted smile.“I was able to sleep, which was better than I expected.It was a long night.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito nodded to her, a look of understanding in his eyes Asuna didn’t expect.“The first few nights are the worst.”He paused, looking down, but shifting back up to her.His fingers were entwined on the table in front of him, his elbows supporting his weight as he leaned forward.“We want to find out what happened to Kains.Do you think you could tell us a little bit more?”</p><p class="p1">Yolko took a steadying breath.“I mentioned we were meeting up for dinner, right?We had gotten separated for just a little bit, and when I saw him hanging there, I screamed.I don’t think he saw me until he started falling.He screamed my name, and I just couldn’t believe it.Th-thank you for trying to save him,” she sobbed, hiding her hands in her face.Asuna could feel her racking sobs through the table.</p><p class="p1">“We went down to the Monument of Swordsmen to try and get some more information.I don’t think you told us how he romanized his name last night.”</p><p class="p1">“K-A-I-N-S.He never was very creative about his English.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito shook his head to Asuna, as she ran her hand in comforting circles on the girl’s back.“I’m sorry, but he died last night,” Asuna said.“I’m so sorry, Yolko.”This only prompted more tears from the girl. </p><p class="p1">Asuna whispered some calming words to Yolko as she cried.After she calmed down, Kirito broke the silence.“Do you think you could tell us a little more about who might have wanted to hurt Kains?”</p><p class="p1">“Like I said, we were in a guild together, about six months ago.”Suddenly, her eyes popped open, and she stared at Kirito, wide eyed.“Right before our guild broke up, there was a fight.We had stumbled across a rare item, a ring that could boost AGI by 20.We were divided on whether or not to sell it or keep it for the guild.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna nodded, a +20 item was huge. Most weapons at this point could range between +20 to +30, on high end unique weapons.But a ring was special in that it would be nearly invisible for another player to assess, and a person could wear two at the same time without any modification to their gear.Something like that was valuable today, never mind six months ago.</p><p class="p1">“Griselda, our leader, decided to put it to a vote.She was always doing that, making sure everyone got their say in the guild.But it was decided, 5-3, to sell the ring.Kains, myself, and another player wanted to keep the ring, but we were overruled.The next day, Griselda went to the front lines to sell the ring to an auctioneer, but she never returned.We got more and more worried, until we feared the worst, and checked the Monument of Swordsmen, only to find out she had died!Murdered for the ring.”Yolko held it together, but Asuna could feel the tension begging for release as she ran her hand up and down her back.</p><p class="p1">“Who was the third person?”Kirito asked quietly.</p><p class="p1">“A tank named Schmitt.He and Kains were the tanks of our guild, and close friends.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito and Asuna exchanged a look.Something was not adding up.Argo said Schmitt was looking for Caynz with a C, while Yolko was looking for Kains with a K.Asuna could see how shaken up the girl was, and did not want to push the issue.Kirito’s steam about letting her know if Kains was still alive had all but fizzled out.There was something amiss between Yolko and Schmitt, but Asuna wasn’t quite sure which one to trust yet.And getting Yolko’s hopes up if Caynz with a C wasn’t the person she was looking for would be beyond cruel.Asuna was all but co-workers with the Defensive Coordinator Schmitt, and while they weren’t on close terms, she had a decent measure of respect for him as a leader.But he had also confronted her in a very strange manner, and she didn’t see Yolko as lying, she seemed so broken up by this.</p><p class="p1">“Could you tell us what happened to your guild after Griselda disappeared?”Asuna asked gently, keeping her hand moving all the while.</p><p class="p1">“Within a few days of her not returning, the guild had started to fall apart.Griselda’s husband, who was the second in command, pretty much disappeared, and no one could stay without her glue.He was nice, but never the same kind of leader as Griselda, never as inspirational.By the time Kains and I went to check the Monument, the guild had been all but dissolved.We let the rest know by PM since we were no longer meeting.”</p><p class="p1">“You and Kains stayed friends though?”Kirito asked, rubbing his chin with his hand.</p><p class="p1">“Yeah, you could say that.I was devastated by the loss of Griselda.She was so strong.She and Grimlock were happy, but she wasn’t just the submissive stereotypical wife.She had fire, and she led our guild to incredible feats.I really admired her, you know?After her death, I was inconsolable, but Kains and I were starting to see each other at that time.We got closer after that.</p><p class="p1">“I hate to say it, because it feels hypocritical, but he really helped me through that time.But he never pushed.An absolute gentleman…”She caught herself. “I’m sorry, I’m rambling, aren’t I?”</p><p class="p1">Asuna held back a slight chuckle.“No, it’s good to talk about it.You cared about them both.We are here to listen.”She gave a meaningful look at Kirito, telling him to stay.It would be just like him to try and leave right about now that it was getting heavy and emotional.</p><p class="p1">“Talking about it is the best thing you can do.Are you still friends with anyone else from your guild?I think it would be good to reach out to them again,” he said, surprising Asuna.He wasn’t usually this sensitive recently.He made no signs of leaping to run towards the door.</p><p class="p1">“I still talk to Schmitt a bit.After the guild dissolved, things got a little more tense between him and Kains, but we still kept up.I can message him to meet up.”</p><p class="p1">“I’m glad you still talk.I talked to him a bit before we came here, so he’s aware of the situation.”Asuna was putting it mildly, his somewhat frosting and frankly inappropriate attempt to scare her off this morning making her a bit hesitant to recommend him to Yolko as a point of emotional healing.But if there wasn’t anyone else, he would understand better than she or Kirito could.Based on Kirito’s distant stare, he sort of understood too, but Schmitt would be a good person because he also knew Kains and Griselda.“Have you talked to Grimlock?I imagine he would also want to talk about Griselda.”</p><p class="p1">She looked a little less enthusiastic.“I’ll message Schmitt soon.I tried to talk to Grimlock, but he said he wanted to grieve privately.I let him be, he was closer to her than I was.They were married after all.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna nodded.“We can walk you to where Schmitt is later, but I think we should get going.Let us know if you need anything else.”</p><p class="p1">“And we mean anything.Please don’t go outside the inn room unless you have to, Yolko.”Kirito said as he stood and opened his menu.He sent Yolko a weeks worth of food, and what he called “something to do if you get bored,” which were probably books he found in some god-forsaken quest before walking toward the door.The girl gave a nod of agreement and thanks.</p><p class="p2"> </p><p class="p1">Outside, the two clearers gave each other a look.“There’s definitely something more going on here.The two Kainses can’t be the same person, and there is clearly a connection between the two people looking for two different Kainses.” </p><p class="p1">Kirito nodded.“It’s times like these that I wished the Monument also gave years.Sure, there’s a sense of immersion to call all the months different things, but it’s impractical to not have years attached to things.Even if it's zero-indexed to the first year of the game or even the first year of game development,” KIrito said in a huff. </p><p class="p1">“Perhaps the game was meant to be cleared before a year passed?”</p><p class="p1">“The beta test only got to the tenth floor in a month, so based on that, the game could have cleared 120 floors by the first anniversary.Granted, it's rather difficult to maintain that pace with your life on the line.”</p><p class="p1">“At least we didn’t keep up the pace from the first floor, or we’d be here for eight years!It’s around ten days a floor now, which is pretty respetable.”</p><p class="p1">“Something well spoken from the pacesetter herself.But unfortunately that won’t matter if we can’t figure this out.I think there’s then two avenues to pursue.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna nodded.“I still think we should stick together on this.We don’t know how the murder in the safe zone happened, so I don’t think splitting up would work well either.”</p><p class="p1">“I agree with that.And it’s not like I would be too much help.You have the two connections that we need, Schmitt to try and get to Caynz with a C and an in with the forefront of random game trivia.”</p><p class="p1">“You just want to use me to get to Commander Heathcliff, don’t you?”Asuna questioned, hands akimbo.</p><p class="p1">“He never really liked me after I refused to join the guild with you.”</p><p class="p1">“It was the best option to clear the game as fast as possible.We were a powerful team.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito shook his head.“‘Was’ being the operative word there.I think the front line would have imploded from us ignoring or fighting each other, even if…”he was interrupted by a punch to his shoulder.</p><p class="p1">“We’re getting on fine now, aren’t we?Come on, I think I know how we can get the Commander to talk to us.”</p><hr/><p class="p1">Algade Ramen Parlor was at most two thirds accurate.It did sell ramen, the best in Aincrad according to Commander, but ‘parlor’ was generous considering the size of the place.There was a kitchen and a small window to order and pick up your food, but barely two tables and a bar in the place.An NPC bartender stood behind the bar, setting out drinks and occasionally delivering food to the customers sitting at the tables.Due to the size of the place, each table could only fit two people, so the three Front Liners had to combine the two tables and essentially take over the entire place.It fit the “hole in the wall” description perfectly.</p><p class="p1">“Hey Asuna, where’d you get that outfit?It looks good on you.”Kirito remarked, glancing at her as they sat in the parlor waiting for Commander Heathcliff.He would look at her for a second, but then divert his attention straight ahead of him.</p><p class="p1">“Ashley made it.It wasn’t worth keeping up my own sewing skill, but she has mastered it, and nice clothes just feel nicer.We spent so much on armor that I figured some creature comforts were ok.” It was odd for him to mention something like that so late into the day, considering that the two had been together all morning.But he was probably trying to break the slight tension of them waiting in a small shop, taking up all the available space, for her guild commander.</p><p class="p1">“Mm, I guess.I just don’t have much that’s not active armor, you know?It doesn’t get dirty, and the base layer doesn’t really lose durability fast enough to need to get it repaired before an upgrade.”</p><p class="p1">“I figured you would be the kind to optimize down to your underwear, Kirito.That’s a valuable equipment spot to boost your stats.”</p><p class="p1">“There’s no hard limit on the number of clothes you can wear, but over time, it does affect mobility.I could technically wear twenty different pairs of boxers, but it wouldn’t let me move fast enough. The stats boosts aren’t worth it, it's easier to stack them onto external items, like coats and hats.”</p><p class="p1">“Ahh, but there is a limit on the number of hand items a person can equip,” a deep voice came from the door of the small establishment.</p><p class="p1">“Commander!Welcome!Commander Heathcliff, this is Kirito, a solo.Kirito, Heathcliff,”Asuna introduced the two.They had surely met, but she couldn’t recall them meeting one on one before.Few people outside the top leadership of the KoB did.</p><p class="p1">“Kirito, good to see you again.I feel like I only see you in raids nowadays, but we haven’t talked since, what, the 24th floor?”Asuna was surprised at this, she didn’t think the Commander paid so much attention to him to remember something that happened a year ago.But then again, her Commander was infamous for his memory.</p><p class="p1">“Good to see you too, Commander Heathcliff.Anyway, it’s my treat, so please take your pick,” Kirito waved the Commander to a chair with a menu in front of it.The man took a few seconds before tapping his menu, and walking over to the counter and ordering.Kirito and Asuna followed him, so two orders of the House Special and one Algade Deluxe were placed and billed to Kirito.</p><p class="p1">“I’m glad you two agreed to meet me here.This is one of my favorite places.It’s only open for lunches and dinners three days a week, so imagine my surprise when someone as famous as the Black Swordsman invites me out to dinner.Almost makes you wonder, doesn’t it, sub-commander?”He winked at Asuna, who just rolled her eyes.“To be honest, I’m glad to talk to you two together, we never got the opportunity to do so earlier, did we?I’ve had to get all my Black Swordsman drama from less reliable sources, but there’s some good stories there.”</p><p class="p1">Kirito looked a bit confused, but weathered on.He poured Heathcliff a glass of ice water, setting a lemon wedge in it with the backsides of his chopsticks.“I’m sure they pale in comparison to your known feats, Heathcliff.It takes something special to hold off the halfway boss for ten minutes.”</p><p class="p1">The Commander let out a chuckle that Asuna considered a full blown laugh were they in normal company.He always projected a layer of stoicism to most of the guild, but around her, he tried to be more funny and down to earth.Asuna knew it wasn’t because of her gender, another one of the business side leaders in the KoB was also a woman, but didn’t get the same treatment, and Asuna had asked.No, it was just her.She was his stand in for raid planning parties, and while technically leader of the B team for battles, she was in essence, his second in command.She did understand his need to have a confidant, and it was good to have someone else who understood the level of responsibility, but he was at a different stage of his life.More removed.She sometimes wondered about the stoicism, if it was really all an act. </p><p class="p1">“But you were there for that, but I wasn’t there during some of the early boss raids, working my way up through the mid levels.I’ve heard you and the Sub Commander were quite the team,”he broke apart his chopsticks and folded up the small paper covering to rest them on.A sip of water finished up his pre-meal prep.</p><p class="p1">Asuna was not liking where he was going.She didn't actively hide her past with Kirito from him, but she also didn’t appreciate him going and stirring it up.Asuna cast a glance at Kirito, who also looked a bit on edge.Under her death glare, he seemed to cast aside any uncertainty and a thin layer of steel rose up in his eyes.</p><p class="p1">“We’ve brought the teamwork back for a bit, but our story of the day involves something a little more recent,” and ‘pressing’ was the part Asuna could tell he left out.“There’s been a death inside the Anti-Criminal Area up on the 57th floor the other night, and it seems to be done by someone.”</p><p class="p1">“Based on what’s happened, it seems to be in retaliation, or perhaps in judgement of, another death about six months ago.That case seems to be one of the first Sleep PK’s, but we don’t know who did it.It’s likely connected to the current case.”</p><p class="p1">“Oh, and you two are the detectives on the case? I was wondering why you said you wouldn’t be returning to the front lines for a few days.I might have hoped otherwise, but alas, this is very important indeed.”What was Heathcliff getting at?Asuna took a sip of water to steady herself</p><p class="p1">“We were hoping to talk to you about how it might have happened.You know more about the underlying system than just about anyone, and I trust you,” Asuna said.She launched into an explanation of what they had learned up until that point, covering the details of the night prior, but leaving out Schmitt’s name.Heathcliff became slightly more pensive during this, rubbing his chin with his hand.</p><p class="p3">“Mmm, that is dire.Thank you for calling me to this, the more heads we get on this, the sooner we can return to progressing the game.”Kirito seemed a little surprised to see the same clearing rigor from the Commander, but had little time to process.“Kirito, what are your theories relating to this?”</p><p class="p3">“We’ve currently got three theories.One, it’s a duel in the safe zone, but we didn’t see the winner display,” he said, jumping into his explanation.“Two, a normal method and some system loophole, and three, an unknown exploit that defeats the Anti-Criminal Code.”</p><p class="p3">“We can ignore the last option entirely,” the Commander said decisively.At Kirito’s questioning look, he clarified.“Fundamentally, this sort of game needs to be fair.Wouldn’t the developer need to make it so that safe zones remain safe, no matter what?To cause an unfairness so fundamental to safety, they betray the player’s trust, and no longer have the guarantee that they will follow other rules.”</p><p class="p3">“Wow, you’ve really thought this through, haven’t you, Heathcliff?”</p><p class="p3">“The Social Contract of World Building, he calls it,” Asuna spoke, trying to head off the Commander before he really got going.She shook her head at Kirito, who looked ready to jump into a full on discussion.</p><p class="p3">“But the excitement of a game comes from doing what’s unexpected.If there’s nothing that pushes the mold, how can a game stay entertaining?”Kirito had fallen for the bait, hook, line, and sinker.</p><p class="p3">“But the most fundamental rules need to be set and respected, so that players know what to expect.Within those basic rules, other suggestions and guidelines might be broken, but there need to remain a base set of laws.Even the real world is governed by them, but more fundamentally, like physics.Humankind can create impressive technology, but cannot exceed certain limits set by physical reality.”</p><p class="p3">“Sure, game physics controls what’s possible in the game, but can you extend that sort of thing to social behavior?Mmm, would that mean that something to allow you to kill inside the Inner Area is then a glitch against the game rules, like being trapped in world geometry?That this isn’t social behavior, a rule like ‘sharp knives draw blood, but smooth bamboo doesn’t’?” </p><p class="p3">Heathcliff was pleased with Kirito reaching the conclusion and smiled. Asuna interrupted before the two could get further derailed, ignoring Kirito’s nonsensical idiom.“And the other two options?”She heard the chime and went to get their food from the small window.</p><p class="p3">“You don’t need to get the food Asuna, we are both perfectly capable of getting it ourselves,” the Commander said, while he still accepted the food. Asuna shrugged, and Kirito just accepted the bowl in thanks.He was paying at least.“But the first seems unlikely, you said the victim was with someone else right before?There was a limited time to be challenged to a duel, and limited time to escape.A teleport crystal would do the trick for getting out, but that puts us at a distinct disadvantage in trying to find the person.They would also be quite difficult to convince someone to start a duel in the middle of a crowded square while looking for their friend.”</p><p class="p3">“So you think we should leave it out as well?”Asuna said, while Kirito was occupied with his noodles.</p><p class="p1">“Yes, it seems unlikely, but not impossible.”</p><p class="p1">“And then the second option.Some strange system loophole.We already did experiments about taking damage outside the Area and coming in, but that stopped draining HP immediately.”Heathcliff just nodded, digging into his noodles himself.</p><p class="p1">“But what’s the condition for being inside the Area?He was on a rope.If he was transported there without touching the ground?”<br/>“Mmm, the Area is defined by the 2D walls of the city or town.The Z coordinate doesn’t matter.If a player were to somehow fly a dragon over a town, they would still be protected by the Inner Area.”</p><p class="p1">“Well, that seems to discount any weird transportation ways.A crystal would put you down in the Teleport Gate, not in a rope, so that wouldn’t matter.And as soon as they were in the Area, they should have been safe,” Kirito said, setting his spoon down thoughtfully.</p><p class="p1">“What if they were damaged outside? It takes a certain amount of time for damage to actually drain the HP bar, right?”Asuna said.</p><p class="p1">“You two seem to have a pretty good head between you, huh?You’re right, it does take time for damage to remove HP.But you mentioned he died from Continuous Piercing Damage?” The Commander paused as the other two nodded.“That can’t do that much damage per second.As soon as they entered the safe zone, any new damage would immediately stop, so it would have to have been done entirely before entering the safe zone.The person using that weapon would have to be incredibly well levelled.Based on what I can guess, probably around level 100, and get the victim into position almost instantaneously, since you two had time to try and help him on the ground.He probably had help to orchestrate something like that.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna was shocked.She was just under level 80 herself, and she considered herself to be at the bleeding edge of levelling.If there was someone more levelled than her, it was probably Kirito and his solo lifestyle, or the Commander sitting in front of them.To have a murder running around that was 20 levels higher than her was terrifying, not even considering the mid level players who would be mincemeat to that kind of power.</p><p class="p1">“Th-that’s impossible!You wouldn’t mind giving us a general picture if you’d be that strong, would you, Heathcliff?”Kirito said.Asuna was incensed at his rudeness, and shot him a glare to match, and kicked his leg with hers under the table.Stats were your lifeline, and to ask for them was taboo, especially between respectable members of the Assault Team.</p><p class="p1">“Don’t worry too much Asuna, I get where he’s coming from.I won’t give you numbers, but that is a healthy margin above me.You too, I assume?” He asked, winking at the swordsman in black.</p><p class="p1">Kirito gave a sheepish nod, discouraged by Asuna’s quick retaliation.</p><p class="p1">“Please do forgive him, Commander, it’s surprising he can keep such polite company after being a solo player for so long.He means well, but isn’t the sharpest poleax in the armory.”</p><p class="p1">“Don’t worry so much.I’m also concerned with a potential foe so powerful.If we could recruit them into the KoB, I would do it quickly, if they weren’t quite so dangerous to fellow players.If you two keep up the investigation, you should probably keep some other Clearers on retainer just in case.Although I’m not sure if they can protect you from Asuna, Kirito.”He turned from Kirito to his subordinate.“Asuna, I’m permitting you to pull two parties of Knights from dungeon clearing to Field Training and Questing for the duration of your investigation.I suggest you choose well, we don’t want any information leaking to the wrong people.”At the end of this, he found his bowl to be empty, and picked it up to finish the last of the broth.It was a bit of a shock for him to transition between the extreme contingency plan and tactlessly drink straight from his bowl.</p><p class="p1">Kirito looked surprised at this development, but Asuna nodded.“I’ll draft up a list to send to Godfree after this.I think most people are in the dungeon until around 6pm today, so I’ll see if we can get a temporary detail from headquarters.Team C is better than no one, after all.We should be able to get the main group tomorrow, and I’ll make sure they all have teleport crystals for rapid deployment.” </p><p class="p3">Keeping parties out of the dungeons and the tower labyrinth meant that they could get Personal Messages, and would be able to move quickly and respond to whatever threat Asuna or the Commander saw.The general plan Asuna and the Commander set up was that each person would teleport to the nearest town, and form into speed types and a heavy armed party to come to whatever emergency in two waves.They had set this system up if there was ever a threat of PKers or Red Players, since only the Assault team would have the power to deal with them, and they needed to keep it internal for trust and speed.A coalition like a raid group would be more powerful, but take days to organize and would be prone to information leaks.</p><p class="p1">Now done with his food, the Commander set down his chopsticks on top of his bowl.“Splendid, you two should be fine on your own for the most part, but better to be safe than sorry.But I’ve kept you two long enough.No point in dragging an old man like me along on your date.”He just wryly smiled at Asuna indignation.“Kirito, thank you so much for the meal.It’s always a treat to come here.”</p><p class="p1">Ignoring his date comment, Kirito asked “You’re very welcome sir.I was wondering, what kind of ramen is this?It’s good, but not super familiar.”</p><p class="p1">“Ahh, well, I’m not sure if it applies to any specific region or real world style.There are certain ingredient limitations in the cooking system, so without real fermented products like soy sauce, normal ramen just doesn’t taste the same.You don’t want to know how many places seem to just replicate a dish from the real world without adjusting it, it’s really a shame.”</p><p class="p1">“But isn’t wine a common drink in Aincrad?Doesn’t that need to be fermented?”Asuna asked.</p><p class="p1">“I take it you’ve never had real wine then?It’s close, but subtly different.Most youngsters drink the bad stuff, so the difference is small, ignoring the lack of alcohol.But it lacks the right blended-ness of a good wine, and the sparkling ones are more like a light grape soda.The flavor reproduction engine is good, for the sake of immersion, but some things were lost.Unfortunately, I didn’t discover this until well into the game, when I had accumulated enough funds to try a so called ‘nice’ wine.I wasn’t a heavy drinker before, but I was immeasurably disappointed.”</p><p class="p1">Asuna nodded sadly.She had never had real wine before diving into Aincrad, but the drink was far from bad.But without a real comparison, what could she do?She settled on just enjoying the drink now.Even if she wasn’t the legal drinking age, putting her life on the line every day meant that she could have a sip of non-alcoholic wine if she so chose.</p><p class="p1">Kirito on the other hand, looked conflicted.She thought she heard him muttering under his breath about “acquired tastes” and “adult beverages,” but she couldn’t make it out.He probably hadn’t had a glass in the real world either.Drinking it to feel older?Sounded like him, even if she found herself drinking a glass almost every time they ate together.</p><p class="p1">“I suppose that brings me to some good parting words.Everything in Aincrad is digital data, right?Sent directly to your brain, so there are no optical illusions or hallucinations.But without a direct memory, things can get distorted, yes?Like the wine?”With their nods, Heathcliff thanked them both and the shop owner before departing through the door.</p><p class="p1">“What was that about?”Kirito asked, unused to the Commander’s sometimes cryptic messages. </p><p class="p1">“Probably some deep thing he thought up while actually drunk.I suppose even if that’s off this evening's activity, I’m sort of not in the mood for wine for a while,” Asuna said, swirling the ice water in her glass as she thought back to the meal they had started yesterday.Even if they hadn’t finished it, the two of them had gotten a good way through their glasses of wine.</p><p class="p1">“Ehh, it still tastes ok.And there’s a nice balance of flavor, especially between a darker, more tannin-y red and a good savory meal.”He said, putting on a haughty air.</p><p class="p1">“Jerk, you’re just making that up.You couldn’t taste a tannin if that was the only thing on your tongue.And I thought you liked sweet sparkling wines?”</p><p class="p1">“Everyone should be able to enjoy a good Calibrium Champagne once in a while!The vineyard floor is still my favorite.Grape monsters that reek of alcohol?Nothing to vine about here!”</p><p class="p1">“I really do hate you, you know?”Asuna said, turning back to her bowl with just a little broth left in it.Kirito let out a hearty chuckle and picked his bowl up to drain it.She sighed and used her spoon to pick up the last dregs in a much more refined way.</p><p class="p1">“You really had to hop on the wheat monsters, or you could barley defeat them. Still though, I think your Commander was trying to say something.If we don’t have a direct memory of it?”He wiped his mouth and scratched his head without putting the napkin down.</p><p class="p1">“Mm, maybe like a direct view of it?”</p><p class="p1"><br/>“If we don’t directly see it, the information could have gotten distorted through the grapevine!”</p><p class="p1">Asuna smacked her face, but understood.The Commander had warned them about trusting information they got from secondary sources.“But who do we believe then?We’ve got two different people looking for different Kainses.”<br/>“I guess we should pay your friend Schmitt another visit then,” Kirito said as he got up to leave the restaurant, extending his hand with a smile to help her out of her chair.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>So Heath Bar has a different personality, but chalk it up to two things.  He knows some of what’s happened between Kirito and Asuna, something more than just their relationship, and because of this, he basically ships them really hard.  He also sort of realizes that he needs to connect more to Asuna as he uses her as a symbol of hope and a stand in for most important clearing functions.</p><p>Also, I’m dropping honorifics, even though I think they are really crucial to Argo’s deliberately disrespectful speech.  I do hope “Aa” and “Kii boy” convey their meaning well enough.  Recovering weeb here.  The prices with Argo are arbitrary, we just don’t have a good sense of monetary evolution in the game.  An apple is 5 cor, but 4 million buys you a nice house.  Where is the middle ground??</p><p>So about the ramen shop.  In V8, it has terrible food and service, and they go for the unlimited water and out of the way spot.  In ME06, K&amp;A eat themselves to sleep to try and figure out whether the owner is a player or not.  Like I get that these two would be somewhat bored as newlyweds, but is the best thing they can do is gorge themselves on bland noodles to satisfy Asuna’s curiosity about a shop they went to 6 months before?  It also doesn’t fit Kirito’s character to take Asuna and Heath Bar to a bad food place, he’s supposed to be the one “living” in the game.  Based on how much he loves Asuna’s cooking and going out of the way to get the cream for bread on the first floor, he should find good restaurants!  And he clearly does with the floor 57 place.  Ok, rant over, sorry.</p><p>This chapter was also supposed to cover the rest of the day, but I’m splitting it to try and get the actual confrontation down better.  I’ve got some surprises, so hopefully it won’t read quite as similar as the info dump with Heath Bar here.  Also, I’ve updated chapter 2 to fix a Floor 56/57 problem I realized reading through V8, and a few other typos.</p>
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